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Whitehouse J, Clark PR, Robinson RL, Rees K, O’Callaghan O, Kimock CM, Witham CL, Waller BM. Facial expressivity in dominant macaques is linked to group cohesion. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240984. [PMID: 39013427 PMCID: PMC11251757 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Social living affords primates (including humans) many benefits. Communication has been proposed to be the key mechanism used to bond social connections, which could explain why primates have evolved such expressive faces. We assessed whether the facial expressivity of the dominant male (quantified from the coding of anatomically based facial movement) was related to social network properties (based on social proximity and grooming) in nine groups of captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) housed in uniform physical and social environments. More facially expressive dominant male macaques were more socially connected and had more cohesive social groups. These findings show that inter-individual differences in facial expressivity are related to differential social outcomes at both an individual and group level. More expressive individuals occupy more beneficial social positions, which could help explain the selection for complex facial communication in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Whitehouse
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, NottinghamNG1 4FQ, UK
| | - P. R. Clark
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, LincolnLN6 7TS, UK
| | - R. L. Robinson
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, NottinghamNG1 4FQ, UK
| | - K. Rees
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, NottinghamNG1 4FQ, UK
| | - O. O’Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, NottinghamNG1 4FQ, UK
| | - C. M. Kimock
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, NottinghamNG1 4FQ, UK
| | - C. L. Witham
- Centre for Macaques, Medical Research Council, SalisburySP4 0JQ, UK
| | - B. M. Waller
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, NottinghamNG1 4FQ, UK
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Grant-Jacob JA. Evolution of laughter from play. Commun Integr Biol 2024; 17:2338073. [PMID: 38601922 PMCID: PMC11005796 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2024.2338073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In this hypothesis, I discuss how laughter from physical play could have evolved to being induced via visual or even verbal stimuli, and serves as a signal to highlight incongruity that could potentially pose a threat to survival. I suggest how laughter's induction could have negated the need for physical contact in play, evolving from its use in tickling, to tickle-misses, and to taunting, and I discuss how the application of deep learning neural networks trained on images of spectra of a variety of laughter types from a variety of individuals or even species, could be used to determine such evolutionary pathways via the use of latent space exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Grant-Jacob
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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van Heijst K, Kret ME, Ploeger A. Basic Emotions or Constructed Emotions: Insights From Taking an Evolutionary Perspective. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023:17456916231205186. [PMID: 37916982 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231205186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing debate between basic emotion theories (BETs) and the theory of constructed emotion (TCE) hampers progress in the field of emotion research. Providing a new perspective, here we aim to bring the theories closer together by dissecting them according to Tinbergen's four questions to clarify a focus on their evolutionary basis. On the basis of our review of the literature, we conclude that whereas BETs focus on the evolution question of Tinbergen, the TCE is more concerned with the causation of emotion. On the survival value of emotions both theories largely agree: to provide the best reaction in specific situations. Evidence is converging on the evolutionary history of emotions but is still limited for both theories-research within both frameworks focuses heavily on the causation. We conclude that BETs and the TCE explain two different phenomena: emotion and feeling. Therefore, they seem irreconcilable but possibly supplementary for explaining and investigating the evolution of emotion-especially considering their similar answer to the question of survival value. Last, this article further highlights the importance of carefully describing what aspect of emotion is being discussed or studied. Only then can evidence be interpreted to converge toward explaining emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariska E Kret
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University
- Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Cognitive Psychology Department, Leiden University
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University
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Nelson XJ, Taylor AH, Cartmill EA, Lyn H, Robinson LM, Janik V, Allen C. Joyful by nature: approaches to investigate the evolution and function of joy in non-human animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1548-1563. [PMID: 37127535 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The nature and evolution of positive emotion is a major question remaining unanswered in science and philosophy. The study of feelings and emotions in humans and animals is dominated by discussion of affective states that have negative valence. Given the clinical and social significance of negative affect, such as depression, it is unsurprising that these emotions have received more attention from scientists. Compared to negative emotions, such as fear that leads to fleeing or avoidance, positive emotions are less likely to result in specific, identifiable, behaviours being expressed by an animal. This makes it particularly challenging to quantify and study positive affect. However, bursts of intense positive emotion (joy) are more likely to be accompanied by externally visible markers, like vocalisations or movement patterns, which make it more amenable to scientific study and more resilient to concerns about anthropomorphism. We define joy as intense, brief, and event-driven (i.e. a response to something), which permits investigation into how animals react to a variety of situations that would provoke joy in humans. This means that behavioural correlates of joy are measurable, either through newly discovered 'laughter' vocalisations, increases in play behaviour, or reactions to cognitive bias tests that can be used across species. There are a range of potential situations that cause joy in humans that have not been studied in other animals, such as whether animals feel joy on sunny days, when they accomplish a difficult feat, or when they are reunited with a familiar companion after a prolonged absence. Observations of species-specific calls and play behaviour can be combined with biometric markers and reactions to ambiguous stimuli in order to enable comparisons of affect between phylogenetically distant taxonomic groups. Identifying positive affect is also important for animal welfare because knowledge of positive emotional states would allow us to monitor animal well-being better. Additionally, measuring if phylogenetically and ecologically distant animals play more, laugh more, or act more optimistically after certain kinds of experiences will also provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the evolution of joy and other positive emotions, and potentially even into the evolution of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena J Nelson
- Private Bag 4800, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Alex H Taylor
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys, 23, Barcelona, Spain
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Erica A Cartmill
- Departments of Anthropology and Psychology, UCLA, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Heidi Lyn
- Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, 75 S. University Blvd., Mobile, AL, 36688, USA
| | - Lauren M Robinson
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, Vienna, A-1160, Austria
| | - Vincent Janik
- Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Colin Allen
- Department of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, 1101 Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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Cordoni G, Ciarcelluti G, Pasqualotto A, Perri A, Bissiato V, Norscia I. Is it for real? Structural differences between play and real fighting in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23537. [PMID: 37461284 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
In primates, as well as in other mammals, play fighting (PF) is a complex form of playful activity that is structurally similar to real fighting (RF) and may also be used in a competitive way. Here, we verify the structural key differences that can distinguish PF from RF in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We collected 962 h of video recording on 30 adult individuals belonging to four chimpanzee groups (Mona Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Spain; La Vallée des Singes and ZooParc de Beauval, France). We applied different indices-two of which were borrowed from the ecological measures of biodiversity-to test for structural differences between PF (345 sessions) and RF (461 sessions) in the levels of behavior repetition (Repeatability of Same Behavior Index, RSBI), distribution uniformity (Pielou Index, J), variability (Shannon Index, H') and, symmetry (i.e., reciprocal exchange of offensive/defensive behaviors; Asymmetry Index, AI). Moreover, we compared the session duration between PF and RF. We found that duration and RSBI were higher in PF than RF while AI was higher in RF than PF. No difference was found between J and H'. Interestingly, both females and males maintained similar ranking positions (determined via Normalized David's scores) in RF and PF. Our study indicates that session duration, behavior repetition, and symmetry can be distinctive structural key features of PF whereas dominance role-reversal, behavior variability, and distribution uniformity were not. PF in adult chimpanzees may have elements of serious contexts (e.g., absence of role-reversal as in RF) which is in line with the view that play is a blended, multifunctional behavior deriving from the re-combination of different behavioral systems. Our findings highlight the need to investigate play structure and manifestation in a nuanced way to better understand the actual motivation that underlies what appears to be play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giada Cordoni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Ciarcelluti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Altea Pasqualotto
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Annarita Perri
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Veronica Bissiato
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Ivan Norscia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
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Caruana F, Palagi E, de Waal FBM. Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20220159. [PMID: 36126666 PMCID: PMC9489298 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fausto Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Volturno 39/E, 43125 Parma, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, via A. Volta 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
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Palagi E, Caruana F, de Waal FBM. The naturalistic approach to laughter in humans and other animals: towards a unified theory. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210175. [PMID: 36126670 PMCID: PMC9489289 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This opinion piece aims to tackle the biological, psychological, neural and cultural underpinnings of laughter from a naturalistic and evolutionary perspective. A naturalistic account of laughter requires the revaluation of two dogmas of a longstanding philosophical tradition, that is, the quintessential link between laughter and humour, and the uniquely human nature of this behaviour. In the spirit of Provine's and Panksepp's seminal studies, who firstly argued against the anti-naturalistic dogmas, here we review compelling evidence that (i) laughter is first and foremost a social behaviour aimed at regulating social relationships, easing social tensions and establishing social bonds, and that (ii) homologue and homoplasic behaviours of laughter exist in primates and rodents, who also share with humans the same underpinning neural circuitry. We make a case for the hypothesis that the contagiousness of laughter and its pervasive social infectiousness in everyday social interactions is mediated by a specific mirror mechanism. Finally, we argue that a naturalistic account of laughter should not be intended as an outright rejection of classic theories; rather, in the last part of the piece we argue that our perspective is potentially able to integrate previous viewpoints-including classic philosophical theories-ultimately providing a unified evolutionary explanation of laughter. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, via A. Volta 6, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Fausto Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Volturno 39/E, Parma 43125, Italy
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